Welcome to the Sunrise Spirit –
the Weekly Newsletter of The Rotary Club of Arcata Sunrise
We hope that you will attend one of our lively Friday meetings,
whether or not you are interested in joining Rotary.
Usually, we meet on most Fridays at 7 am in the Plaza View Room
at Arcata’s historic Jacoby Storehouse,
however, during the COVID-19 pandemic, we are meeting online.
Please visit the RCAS Website for the meeting links.
Rotary Vision:
Together, we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change
– across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.
The Calendar …
RISE: “Rotary Involvement Strengthens Everyone“
- October 29th & 30th – Lost Coast Rotaract’s Virtual Spirits & Spirits
- October 30th – RCAS Final Friday … and Costume Party!
- October 30th – Arcata Elementary Fall Carnival
- October 31st – Arcata Main Street’s Spooky Car Parade on the Plaza from 7 to 11 pm
- November 11th – Veterans Day Ceremony on the Plaza – 4 pm
- January 20 & 27 – RCAS Equity & Diversity Workshops
Announcements
We welcomed some guests and some Visiting Rotarians, including Past District Governor Bob Rogers, who is a member of the Rotary Club of Sebastopol as well as our Featured Speaker. Frank Ramos of the Fortuna Sunrise Rotary (and an Assistant Governor) was on hand, as was former Sunriser Carl Ochsner, who now lives in Butte County. Carl is the Past President of the Chico Sunrise Rotary. Former Exchange Student Fernanda Lima was also on-screen, and we’ll hear more about her soon.
After Fernanda told us about her experiences (and what she has been doing for the past 20 years), Rebecca Crow asked for donations to support Arcata Elementary’s Fall Festival on Friday, October 30th. If you can donate pumpkin decorations or fall-themed crafts kits, please get them to Rebecca by October 28th. Rebecca also said that Six Rivers Charter High School’s English program needs donations of books to distribute as student copies. The list of titles should be in your inbox.
Next Friday’s meeting will be the Final Friday for October, and it will be a costume party. Remember, your costume only has to cover what is shown by your camera, but be careful what you show …
The Foundation Celebration took place the day after our meeting, but Foundation Chair Terri Clark awarded the Foundation Raffle prize to Tamra James! Then we had another big winner, when Craig Newman won $110 in our regular raffle! He promptly donated that to the ROtary Foundation’s Polio Plus fund, and others followed suit.
Visiting With Fernanda!
An unexpected advantage of holding our meetings online has been that several of our former Inbound Exchange Students have been able to visit with us, to let us know how they are and what they have been doing since their Exchange Year.
Fernanda Lima joined us, twenty years after her 1999-2000 stint in Arcata. Fernanda came to us from Ribeirão Pires, Brazil. Her host parents were Janice and Craig Newman, Carl and Vicky Ochsner, and Kathy and Bill Fraser. Fernanda showed us photos from her Exchange Year, including one of her arrival in Arcata and another of the Youth Exchange SCANEX Train Tour.
“I had a really good time in Arcata,” she told us. She also said that she learned a lot. She learned to trust, and she learned that “my culture was just one of many.”
Fernanda studied International Relations when she returned to Brazil, intending to become a journalist. She went on to earn her Masters Degree and a PhD in Public Administration. She told us that although she doesn’t have any kids, she does have a small nephew.
Polio Plus – We are This Close!
Bob Rogers was our District Governor in the 2017-2018 Rotary Year, and he serves as the District’s Chair for the Polio Plus program. As a polio survivor, Bob has a unique perspective when it comes to the effort to eradicate this disabling disease. He started his presentation by showing us a video about a Rotary National Immunization Day in India. Bob took part in that project, and he said that the video still brings a tear to his eyes. (Us too, Bob!)
He told us about his childhood experience with polio, which he later termed “my brush” with the disease. Then he told us how he joined Rotary after he retired and moved to Sebastopol. He attended a District Training and met Larry Myers of the South Ukiah Rotary. Larry is also a polio survivor, and he talked Bob into giving a talk on Polio Plus. And Bob was hooked!
Bob provided a recap of recent progress in the fight to eradicate polio, noting that just two months ago, the World Health Organization was able to declare that the continent of Africa is polio-free. Still, he said, polio is “just a plane ride away”, so we must continue our efforts. He encouraged each of us to become PolioPlus Society members by pledging to donate at least $10 per month (or $100 per year) until the disease is eradicated. Check your email for the forms from Bob.
President Maggie followed Bob’s presentation by announcing that the City of Arcata issued a Proclamation recognizing October 24th as World Polio Day!
(Click here to view the video of the full meeting.)